Hauling Dual Sport front or rear?

[UpaDowna]

carringb, thanks man. The tires are load range E. and I will get it loaded to see what she weighs when ready to roll. I know there is a f450 in the junkyard right now so I may check that out too. perhaps a dumb question but other than the bolt pattern do all of the rear axles just bolt up?

[shenrie]

^^^ nope. spring perches and shock mounts will be different from f-series. im exploring options right now too. carringb seems to be an endless source of vital information in my thread as well...

[UpaDowna]

Originally Posted by shenrie

^^^ nope. spring perches and shock mounts will be different from f-series. im exploring options right now too. carringb seems to be an endless source of vital information in my thread as well...

Right on, what about a E450? Thats what I meant to type... would it bolt up?

Thank you

[carringb]

E450 axle will bolt up. But its WIDE. It's 77.7" wide, vs 66.4" on the regular E350 axle. And the driveline flange is larger, so it would have to be re-drilled or use the flange end of the u-joint from the E450 as well.

F450 will not bolt right up. It's a 10-lug for starters, and only the pickup version is even wide enough to fit the van frames. I considered one (I already have the matching F550 front axle) and decided it too much hassle, so I'll be downsizing my new front axle to an 8-lug.

[boywonder]

FWIW, I just swapped my stock rear leafs for E-350 dually rear leafs. They bolt right up and have 9 leaves instead of 3 plus overload on my stock leaf pack. E-450 rear leafs are a few inches longer and won't fit.

As far as moto hauling goesm I've now done it 3 ways....all on the rear.

For carrying two motos, I bought a folding Harbor Freight trailer (12" wheel model $240 with a coupon) and modified it rather heavily so that I don't fold the trailer anymore to stand it up...just the tongue. Plywood deck and a few pingle wheel chocks. Light, cheap, folding. If you don't need folding get a non-folding one..they should be more robust.

For carrying a single bike, I've been using my neighbor's Joe hauler. They work great, are a bit heavy when schlepping it onto the hitch though. If you go this way find one with the cam lock anti wobble feature. Older ones screw a bolt into the side of the receiver newer ones have a large hex that you tighten at the very rear of the carrier.

I recently built a custom hitch type hauler with custom dual hitches. The goals were basically to be lighter and less wobbly than a Joe Hauler.

Here's the build thread for that:

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...age-17860.html

[Flakwagon]

I just recently took a camping trip with my TW200 on both the front and back of my E250 EB. The bike weighs about 275 and my versahauler another 75. I've faced the same questions, front or back. I have a front hitch and rode out to the camp ground with it like that.

On the front The whole rack sits way too low without a riser and it and you could easily take out a speed bump. And 8 inch riser solved the problem for my approach angle but does infringe on visibility, not so bad that it's a deal breaker. Strap it down firm and roll the handlebars down. I like having it up there where I can see it and I feel more in control. My van is not lifted but I did install mood heavy duty sprigs to allow for added front axle weight. The only major issue I faced was that of driving at night. I will be installing a simple grille in front of the bike with headlights and turn signals, but have not done so yet.

On the rear I ended up staying late the next day and swapped the rack to the back for the ride home. I will never carry the bike on the back again. The weight on the back of the extended body was way too much for me to comfortably be able to control the van. I often tow a trailer and do not experience this. It felt very light on the front end and tracked all over the place. I was so worried at one point I even pulled over at a rest stop to see if everything was still attached on the bike and under the van. Maybe if I beefed up the rear suspension and added a sway bar it would be fine, but it does completely block the rear door which makes it a deal killer for me anyways.